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A couple in Awada, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, have lost their only child and breadwinner to a brutal attack by a thug in the community. The suspect, Ifeanyi Ali, reportedly stabbed the deceased, 24-year-old Chigozie Alo, a tricycle rider, to death for refusing to give him N200. Saturday PUNCH  learnt that the suspect had hitched a ride with Alo and on getting to his destination, demanded the sum from the rider to buy a local gin at a drinking joint in the area. The Izza, Ebonyi State, indigene was said to have explained to Ali that he did not have money on him as he had just started work for the day. The victim, however, reportedly asked the suspect to buy the drink on credit, promising to pay the seller later in the day. The 24-year-old wanted to zoom off when Ali reportedly stabbed him with a broken bottle from behind and fled the scene. The young man, it was gathered, bled to death. The case was reported at the Okpoko Police Division after, whi...

A pregnant cow will be executed as a result of crossing from her European Union farm in Bulgaria into the non-EU Serbia. Daily Mail  reports that Penka, a pregnant red cow who is due in around three months’ time, wandered westwards away from her herd near the village of Kopilovtsi, straying over the border into non-EU Serbia. Two weeks later, she was returned to her owner, Ivan Haralampiev, by a farmer over the frontier. However, Bulgarian officials said the animal must be put down because of strict EU rules. Penka will now be executed because she didn’t have the proper paperwork — despite being given a clean bill of health by Serbian vets. “She had left the borders of the EU and cannot be imported back into the European Union,” Haralampiev told public BNT Television Thursday as he pleaded for his cow to be saved. “A vet comes and orders it to be immediately culled!” The farmer also lamented how the cow was able to saunter over the...

The Gwandu Local Government Area of Kebbi says suspected robbers have stolen over N9m meant for the payment of April salary of workers of its health and agriculture departments. The News Agency of Nigeria  reports that the Chairman of the council, Alhaji Shehu Bagudu, on Thursday in Gwandu said the incident happened on May 24. “The incident happened when the cashier, Alhaji Bashir Gwandu, collected the money from the bank and went to his house. “Unknown to him, some thieves had been trailing him from the bank and as he was about to open the gate of his house, the suspects attacked him, snatched his car with money inside and drove away. “The car was later recovered in the Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State,” Bagudu said. The council chairman also dispelled the rumour that he was shielding the cashier, who is his son in-law Bagudu said he could not stop the police from conducting investigation into the case. He said,  “The cashi...

A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has ordered the Nigeria Police Force to pay N10m as compensation to the family of a commercial driver, Alimi Hakeem, who was shot dead by a policeman in Saki. Alimi was shot by a cop, Ifeayin Nbu, on March 9, 2016, on the Saki-Okere International Market Road. It was alleged that the policeman killed the late driver over N100 bribe. The son of the deceased, Afeez Hakeem, instituted the suit against the Nigeria Police Force, praying the court to award the sum of N500m as compensation for what he described as unlawful killing of his father. He explained that after his late father was stopped at a checkpoint, he offered Nbu the N100 bribe that was normally paid by commercial motorists. He explained that the policeman demanded another N100, a request his father ignored. Afeez said his father drove off, while the policeman ran after him. He added that when he could not catch up with Alimi, Nbu shot him in the head. Apart from the co...

Some Uya Oro youths in the Oron Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Thursday set ablaze a vehicle belonging to the Nigeria Customs Service over the death of a motorcycle rider and his two passengers. The NCS officers were said to have chased a vehicle that was conveying three bags of rice and shot at the vehicle’s tyre. An eyewitness, Daniel Frank, said the tyre, which the customs operatives shot at, pulled out and hit the motorcycle which was at the left side of the vehicle and speeding. According to him, the impact of the tyre and the rider’s speed pushed the motorcycle under the vehicle whose driver was struggling to regain control after its tyre pulled out. He added that the rider and his passengers died instantly. He explained that the incident angered other motocycle riders, youths in the area and other residents, who staged a protest, during which the NCS’ Toyota Hilux was set ablaze. He said, “Some people bought three bags of rice from Oro...

Three truckloads of ammunition were on Wednesday intercepted at Balogun village, along the Igbogila-Ilara Road, Ogun State. The General Officer Commanding, 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Enobong Udoh, during a press briefing on Thursday said the trucks, with the number plates –ANAMBRA AAH 409 ZV, LAGOS BDG 782 XU, and LAGOS GGF 88 XU – were intercepted around 10.05am. He explained that the recovery followed an intelligence report from some well-meaning Nigerians. He said troops of the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, intercepted the consignment, adding that the destination was still unknown. He said, “The live cartridges, packed in boxes and cartons, were carefully sealed inside a concealed compartment constructed underneath the trucks. “On sighting the troops, the drivers and other occupants abandoned their trucks and ...

A man, Hammed Akinleye, has urged a Grade C Customary Court in Iyana-Ofa, Ibadan, Oyo State, to grant the marriage dissolution request of his wife, Mrs Olabisi Akinleye. He alleged that his wife frequently denied him sex while she engaged in sexual affairs with other men. Olabisi, who is a nurse, had dragged her husband before the court, praying for the dissolution of their seven-year-old marriage after she accused him of locking up her mother in a police cell. She also alleged that her husband maltreated her after tricking her to marry him. She told the court that Hammed lied to the police that she stole his money and his property and hid them at her mother’s house. She said, “My husband is untrustworthy; he lied before our marriage that he was married to another woman in the past, but lost her to a car accident. “He played the helpless widower and begged me to marry him. However, when he impregnated me, he told me to abort our child, saying he couldn’t ...

A 28-year-old graduate of the Nnamdi Azikwe University, Jude Okoronta, has been allegedly shot dead by a policeman guarding Ileviaoje Hotel in the Ijegun, Ikotun area of Lagos State. PUNCH Metro  learnt that the incident happened around 11pm on Wednesday. Our correspondent gathered that the victim was waiting for a motorcycle to take him home and was in front of the hotel when he was allegedly shot by the yet-to-be-identified policeman. An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there had been a fight between two men in the hotel. He said, “When the men came out of the hotel, they continued their fight. The mobile policeman locked the hotel gate to prevent people from entering. “The man shot into the air to scare away the crowd that had gathered in front of the hotel because of the fight. The bullet hit the man that was waiting for  okada  (motocycle) to take him home. “The man that died was not among the people fighting. He was hit ...

A Jew entitled to Israeli citizenship by law, Abramovich is now a permanent Israeli resident. The owner of Chelsea, he had been living in London for years, but was informed that his UK visa would not be renewed. The UK has attempted to push out Russian oligarchs in recent months following the poisonings of Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in March. Abramovich also reportedly holds close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. More than 30 powerful Russian Jewish businesspeople have opted to obtain Israeli citizenship in recent years. Not only is Israel the Jewish homeland, it provides a safe backup residence, as well as rights afforded to Israeli-passport holders, including tax benefits, some protection against extradition and the convenience of visa-free travel across the European Union. However, Abramovich’s representative said  his strong identification as a Jew and his warm feelings towards Israel motivated him to make aliyah. His ex-wife ...

The lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye, maintained his seat at the Peoples Democratic Party section in the chamber. He relocated to the seat on Wednesday in spite of being a member of the All Progressives Congress. Melaye also raised a point of order to describe President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent comments on the National Assembly as against his personal privilege as a member. The President had penultimate Tuesday attacked the National Assembly members at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while receiving members of the Buhari Support Organisation led by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (retd.). Buhari had said, “Let anybody come and confront me publicly in the National Assembly. What have they been doing? Some of them have been there for 10 years. What have they been doing?” Melaye alleged that the President’s body language towards the National Assembly was the reason why the Inspecto...

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday advised Nigerian youths to postpone their presidential ambitions till after 2019. Buhari, who has declared his interest in seeking re-election during the 2019 elections, gave the advice shortly after signing Not-Too-Young-to-Run Bill into law at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He described the bill as a landmark law, noting that the bill showed that the youth can achieve anything they conceive if they work hard at it. The new law lowers the constitutional age limits for aspirants to presidential and legislative positions in the country, as clamoured for by majority of young Nigerians. SEE ALSO:  BREAKING: Buhari signs Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill into law It reduces the age qualification for the office of the President from 40 years to 30 years; House of Representatives from 30 to 25; and State House of Assembly from 30 to 25. The signing took place at the Council Chamber of the Aso Rock Villa, in the presence of the NTYTR group of under-3...

The Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmus, on Thursday wrote an open letter to those she called the “bad eggs” in Special Anti Robbery Squad, telling them that not all good-looking young men are involved in internet scam, popularly called “Yahoo Yahoo.” Badmus shared the open letter on her Instagram page. She told the “bad eggs” in the FSARS that most of the accused young men are “hustling,” primarily to make ends meet. She went on to enlighten her audience that wearing dreadlocks is one of the ways young ones earn acceptance into the entertainment industry, and not necessarily because they are doing something illegal. Badmus’ open letter has met with some reactions from her followers, who shared their encounters with the security operatives.

A teacher, Abimbola Olamide, has been arrested by policemen from the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly stabbing her husband, Dare Akinbobola, to death at their residence in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State. PUNCH Metro  gathered that there was an argument between the couple on Wednesday, which degenerated into a fight. In the ensuing brawl, Olamide was said to have stabbed her 28-year-old husband with a knife, killing him in the process. In a video clip of her confessional statement, which went viral on Thursday, the mother of two said she acted in self defence. While speaking in Yoruba, she said, “I did not kill my husband intentionally. He was beating me and while hitting me, he broke several plates on my head. He had battered me many times in the past, but whenever he beat me, I usually run out of the house. “But this time around, he locked the door to prevent me from escaping, pinned me down and battered me. I was helpless. “I picked up a knife o...

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Victor Oye, on Thursday, asked the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, to stay away from APGA. He described the overtures allegedly being made by Okorocha to rejoin the APGA to advance his political interest as dead on arrival. Describing Okorocha as worse than a prodigal son, Oye said the Imo governor was an ingrate that bit the finger that fed him. The APGA national chairman stated this at a press conference at his residence in Amawbia, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State. He said Okorocha committed an unpardonable sin against APGA by filtering away the opportunity and platform the party afforded him to realise his ‘’long-sought ambition’’ of becoming a governor. Oye said, “I’m  a Christian and I’m  familiar with the story of the prodigal son who returned to his father after squandering his wealth, but Okorocha’s case is  worse than t...

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday asked youths who might be eyeing his seat to postpone their campaigns till after the 2019 presidential election.  The Nigerian leader, who has already indicated interest in seeking a fresh four-year mandate in 2019, made the appeal shortly after signing the much-publicised Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill into law at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.  The new law reduces the eligible age for those seeking to be members of the state Houses of Assembly and House of Representatives from 30 to 25 years; and those aspiring to be President from 40 to 35 years.  The age limits for senators and state governors were not reduced as originally proposed by the sponsors of the bill. “I am confident each one of you will transform Nigeria in your own way – whether through the media, agricultural enterprise, as economists, engineers, or as lawmakers in your states or at the federal level, or as state governors – and even someday, as Pr...